Even in Japan, many dismiss anime as being no more than cartoons for kids – Japanese anime fans looking to challenge this prejudice provide 25 anime titles they would unhesitatingly recommend to those poor souls who might otherwise languish under the terrible misconception that animation consists of nothing more than Disney flicks and Saturday morning cartoons…

Let’s be honest. Only 20 and 23 have any serious adult – adult as in Krzysztof Kieslowski or Ingmar Bergman appeal not adult as in X-rated video – significance. The rest are sentimentalist garbage = soap operas for teens and as such good for them big man-children. 20 is a genuine human interest story with breathtaking cinematography and an uncanny ability to demonstrate the behaviour of a child in the animated medium, while 23 is a great intro to Shinto and even natural law.

A good for adult anime which is not even on the list is the Japanese anime adaptation of Franz Kafka’s, “A Country Doctor”.

Reminds me of an anecdote of mine: I quizzed one of them bootleg vendors in our place about Seikon no Qwaser. They said “yes” when I asked if it’s for kids. The rather young vendor flustered and blushed when I asked her to play it on the DVD player and saw its contents.

you know, to add what i have been saying, people also need to see the different cultures. how the men are portrayed in anime compared to america. everything is so different. so they approach it with a defensive mentality. natural human nature in this day and age to approach things that are unknown to us in a defensive mentality. men in japan are totally different than men here in america. you really dont see a lot of tsundere in like american media, especially like in comics. maybe in some shows, yeah, but i really dont watch much television, so im kind of “dumb” if you will on what is on tv, but i know about comics and manga. about tsundere, in manga, you see that all the time. barely ever in comics. its a different culture. everything is alien to newcomers.

Even some of those “Saturday morning cartoons” are kinda disturbing at times. Look up the Donald Duck cartoon “The Old Army Game” on Youtube; in this one, Don actually holds a gun to his head and contemplates suicide, with some of the most horrifying facial expressions imaginable.

I am not surprised why anyone would think this list is full of kiddy anime, but not as surprised to the fact that Naruto is not listed here at all, it would have been #1 on the list.

After so many years of the same shit such as girls running late to school with toast in their mouths, or the obvious shit like no parents present at the homes of teenagers who attend high school types of anime, and surely enough 99.9% of the time the parents are overseas busy with “work”, the moe, the chibi characters and cute noise like “myu”, anime is just getting tiring for us who consider ourselves veterans in anime culture. I look at all the new anime now a days and say to myself that this is aimed at kids.

I wouldn’t mind a change in this anime. Everything i mentioned above should be eliminated and anime wouldn’t be such trash now. It’s ironic that people hate Hayao Miyazaki when this man actually makes quality anime, not aimed at kids by the way, but the list of kiddy anime can get away by the fans. I for once agree with this list even though there are some outdated shit on here.

I have switched to going to the theaters a lot in the past 2-3 years because i honestly thought that anime would get a facelift after 2009 ended. Every time i check out new anime it’s the same fucking shit. I saw the Spring 2012 list and nothing on there is close to decent. Out of all the Winter 2012 shows i am only following 5 compared to following 10+ in the early to late 2000’s.

Ironic when they copy similar stories and plaster a different name on it. the people who looks at anime as something “for kids” search for something similar but with actors(not voice actors) who plays roles. story wise, it’s no different. effects wise, 3D loses out on 2D. THERE ARE STORIES MEANT TO BE TOLD IN 2D. tested and proven by hollywood and their fail attempts of movie adaptations. narrow-minded people would remain the same til they die

Let those with a disposition that animation is for kids alone and leave them in their ignorance. That is unless they are trying to stop you from watching something that they say is too whatever. It’s just like the whole video game debate where games are rated M yet there are parent/teacher groups that want such games stopped. Most adults think every one is like them and shares their interests, it never occurs to them that others might watch animation or play video games. After all they don’t in their little bubble.

Anime is most definitely NOT for kids. I mean, there are children’s shows but the majority are far too complex, poignant, and just plain inappropriate sometimes. I really hate it when people compare anime to cartoons. They are nothing alike.

And it’s unfortunate,really that Anime doesn’t get more recognition come Oscar time. To the ACADEMY it’s all about pixel-count, frames per second & stuff like that while story & message take a backseat.

It seems like every Academy Award for Animated Film is always a an expensively-animated CHILDREN’S FILM. Their really ought to be 2 animation categories: Kids & Adult. Anime would just dominate the Adult category.

The 1st thing I thought was “if they think its for kids they wont even spend time to watch it.” Growing up when you mentioned anime around people I knew the only ones they could think of were dbz & pokemon and maybe tentacle hentai, some watched Naruto around like 05 or so (or whenever it premiered on cartoon network) but that was it. You could show them a scene of a guy getting his arm pulled out of his elbow socket then beat to death with it but when anime comes up in a conversation later they’d still make fun of it or just call it stupid. Those are the people that should view the things on this list but are also the ones who are least likely too. Funny thing is they probably watched outlaw star, gundam, & yyh on adult swim and toonami.

Fail list is fail, the first anime that come to my mind when I read the title was Monster, and guess what there is nowhere on this list, but I guess it was obvious if u let Otaku vote which anime can attract a grown up, and here the result, Otaku think that those anime in this list can make a grown up man to sit and watch and take it seriously, anime like madoka, toradora & fate/zero… this Otaku have a brain of a 10 year old no matter if they r 20 or 30 there is no difference at all.

Black Lagoon!? You kidding me!? That anime says some of the 7 words that you should never utter in public or television! And Ghost in the Shell? thats got nudity. Most of these listed animes have guns, intense violence and nudity and heavy swearing.

There are some good choices up there, but shows like Ano Hana,Usagi Drop, and Toradora! wouldn’t really fit the mold. If I were to put a few shows up there, I’d put Death Note, Basilisk, Another, Deadman Wonderland, Blood-C, Ergo Proxy, Elfen Lied, Higurashi, Umineko, Mirai Nikki, School Days, Yosuga no Sora, Aki Sora, and Panty & Stocking w/ Garterbelt- yes, P&SG. Some new, some old, but they’re pretty mature anime. Oh, and Nisemonogatari would fit as well.

I believe Neon Genesis Evangelion is not recommended for people who think anime is for kids, their mind may not be able to comprehend it. I suggest that they just stick to watching hanna barbaric cartoons.

when they say not just for kids i think what the writer means is that the story would be compelling enough to hold a grownups attention, not just fill the screen with tits and ass which the average adult has seen so much of a cartoon version does nothing to excite them

Pretty much any of the Hayao Miyazaki films seem more than a series of “anime movies”. They deal with some heavy, mature themes and most of them have stories to match.
Sure, some of the movies have some childish, “moe” elements that might set some people off, but nothing like the cliche shenanigans that are shown in harem anime.

We should add all Yuri anime to this then as well. As it usually is drawn with very attractive characters, and has a very nice normal story, until the relationships start to be uncovered, and all hits the fan.

I have a pal who behaved as if all cartoons were for kids. But then I had him sit and watch Elfen Lied and Photon, that brought him around. I think Canaan would have been good on this list, the animation is the shit, and the story isnt exactly child centric.

i was so glad to see “The Grave of the Fireflies” on the list. But the other one i always recommend is “Barefoot Gen”. Skin is not the only reasons some anime is not for kids. Both of these give ME nightmares and I am over 50 yo.

Yes, its quite unfortunate that people who look upon anime in those negative ways (I can imagine some more) are closed-for-good in their minds, not wanting to explore more of what’s out there to see. Poor souls.

eh, probably not too bad considering two of those people with vampire lovers ended up becoming Jinrou (basically vampires without the shitty weaknesses) over the course of the series. Although, one was gay and the other was a lolicon, so those looking for a “normal” vampire lover might be out of luck.

Any adult who is reasonably educated with even a passing interest in psychology is going to watch that and conclude wholeheartedly that it’s pseudo-psych for children. Not to mention all the religious imagery scattered to and fro with absolutely no meaning whatsoever other than “just to look cool.”

You know how early Mortal Kombat and other gore-driven games tend to be nowhere near a list to prove that video games are mature? That’s why it’s not on here. You can argue it had good writing, but you are going to sound like that kid who kept insisting MK played so much better than Street Fighter II.

It’s the perfect toy for that teenager that wants to play big, bad grownup & watch cool grownup stuff about dismemberment, panties & nudity. Y’know….all the cool parts of badass grownup world without the stupid parts like realistic character motivations, consistent plot or any deeper meaning besides a rewrite of Frankenstein as a naked teen chick.

I’m not sure but I think the subtitles have the word “fuck” at some point? So there’s that part too.

@16:02 I can sorta see your point about how some teens might be focused entirely on the gore as the defining factor in EL’s “adultness”(that was your point right?), but I disagree about the rest. Elfen Lied’s not really as shallow as you make it out to be.

I think something like Fist of the North Star might be a better fit for your rant. That’s an awesome show, BTW,hahaha.

Well, as far as I’m concerned both those points suck. Age has nothing to do with it except for life experience.

The reason violence and nudity and such are considered ‘adult’ is because they are things that we adults know exist in reality. To be ‘adult’ is nothing more than to identify a medium that is bringing up universal things that adults deal with, such as sex, violence, people who curse, etc. These are things widely accepted as things only people of a certain age are ‘allowed’ to do, and therefore that is why it’s identified as such.

I personally like shows that don’t hide behind censorship, but that also has a balance where you don’t just do gratuity for the sake of gratuity. If you look at recent anime that have a bunch of sexual content, nearly all of it is in good humor, or strange contexts. It exists to be a parody of real life, and it’s a parody that people with developed minds can get, while younger children won’t get all the nuances. It’s not like it’s complicated, it’s basically just slapstick, and to be ‘adult’ doesn’t mean that you are above laughing at something being simply funny.

Elfin Lied was just a contradiction, much like Madoka is today. You have cute girls with cat ears mutilating each other. Two things that aren’t something we see together. Madoka is magical girls getting killed and showing a very human side, another thing we don’t often see. It’s a simple literary concept, taking two things that don’t belong and making them work together.

It doesn’t make you more special if you don’t enjoy it, or less special if you do. Elfin Lied wasn’t a deep novel, but it was innovative for its medium.

And your logic is so flawless. Just because you’re 31 and you liked it, doesn’t mean that everyone likes violence more, the older they get. Don’t be ridiculous.

It’s not even about pretence by the way. If Elfen Lied only acted accordingly, like a meaningless gore anime, nobody would even look for symoblism or whatnot in the series, like Dokuro-chan. It’s meaningless violence at it’s finest.

But Elfen Lied tries to pretend it’s got a meaning of some sort, already starting with the pretentious Latin opening, combined with the “artsy” “hommage” to Gustav Klimmt’s art… What do you expect? Of course people will put it under the “serious” category.

And I’m not even talking about the whole moral of “all humans are evil, the true monsters aren’t the ones who look like it”. Just admit it, you watched it for the tits, and you’ll never grow out of it. Accept that people can be objective about quality, and that they don’t hate / love things for the sake of it.

If it’s bad, it’s bad. If it’s good, it’s good. Not every single guy is fanboy who likes stuff because the main character says cute stuff like “nyuu”…

Im 31 and LOVED Elfen Lied.
Your reverse logic failed, we do like violence, nudity, mature language and all that, the older we are the more we like it, only lifeless geeks look for meaning in anime, videos games and books.
Us old folks, we just want to get some fun and go to sleep, we have to go to work the next day

I’m also 20 (whatever that has to do with anything) and didn’t like the show. In the fashion of the post before me I will make no actual point, besides scrutinizing the post before mine and the stating my opinion no one cares about. show bad but me like cat ears

Clannad is full of moe Key shit no matter how much drama they add they will never convince anyone to change his mind. It moe otaku style drama not grown people drama. Also Ano Hana has teenage and a little silly drama.
Put in Nana in the place of those if you want to have a chance.

Yeah I fully expected to see titles like Higurashi, Mirai Nikki, Elfen Lied, and School Days on this list. Unless this list is actually “Top 25 Anime for People Who Think Anime is For Kids That Aren’t Blatantly Obvious That They’re Not for Kids”, then the lack of above titles are totally understood.

*Facepalm* Uuuughhh… seriously show Code Geass to the typical guy that works in construction or trucking in the corner of a bar drinking heavy whisky and I will assure you that he will fucking punch you in the face for showing him noodle people being noodly.

I personally think one of the best Anime for this situation would be School Days. Especially considering the cluster fuck coming towards the end. The ending fills a lot of people with rage/despair, and that’s something that can’t be found in a children’s show.

@23:26
Higurashi is comparable to Silence of the Lambs in that regard. I’ve learned to ignore all the bs from conservatives a very long time ago.

And the article says “people who think anime is for kids”, not “most adults”.

[quote]If those show pass as adult shows, then I do not know what the word maturity stands for anymore.[/quote]
One does not need to be mature to be an adult. You become adult with age, but mature with experience.

Well that is your mother, but to any other else mother specially the conservative one’s, they would goddamn freak out at it and most of them will question the intended audience of such a show(mostly they will conclude that it is for psycopaths etc) even after they watch and understand why the himazawa incidents occurs etc. That just means it is not for everyone and since the target of the survey is “every adult” as in everyone, then Higurashi surely would not pass the test.

As for those shows that made the list, If those show pass as adult shows, then I do not know what the word maturity stands for anymore.

The only problem with this list is that people who think “cartoons are for kids” are not going to watch any of these. For some reason they just can’t take a cartoon seriously, even if it has blood and guts, incredible action sequences, or is highly poignant. Take Grave of the Fireflies for example. It is an incredible portrait of WWII Japan and most people will ignore it because it looks like it is “for kids”. They have no idea what they are missing.

Okay you mentioned Roger Ebert, except we are looking at these dumb, good for nothing for kids titles with barely anything to offer. The stuff on the list are merely passable stories which won’t last for a decade…

i had a friend/room mate who thinks cartoons are for kids… then he seen some of the stuff i watch when he was in my room… and he finally came to terms that cartoon isnt just for kids, but he still doesnt wanna watch it, because its not “realistic”… then he proceed to watch heroes.

i can understand. it’s more “realistic” because it deals with actual humans, not drawings. thats the american mentality, that cartoons are for kids. why would they think otherwise? have you seen what is broadcasted on nick and cartoon network now? its all child stuff. obviously they should give anime a chance, but look at what they are exposed to on a daily basis. its not their fault.

wat he meant by “realistic” is becuz it’s dealing with real human (the actors and such), although the CGs, special effects, and stories said otherwise. On the other hand, anime is drawn, either by hand or by computer, it’s still drawing of imaginary people.

And why is it CGs are better than drawing? Because f**k logic, ignorant people aren’t going to

I could be wrong, but wouldn’t a Miyazaki movie still be considered a gateway toward opening them up a bit little by little if they won’t sit down for a series? I mean let’s face it, Princess Mononoke sure as shit removes younger kids from the mix with giant bleeding demon-infested forest spirits.

Of course that knocks a few Christians out of the equation by default I guess.

Yeah, right? And as any true fan of Manga, Anime or even Japanese culture in general knows, the concept of “Demon” in their belief-system doesn’t have the same meaning as it does in most religious. In Shintoism and the like, a “Demon” is simply a spiritual entity… and not necessarily an ‘evil’ one. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for “otherworldly” and “weird

The one anime that I would suggest that would give them a taste of anime. would give them a sample of how much you can learn from an anime While being entertained is Ghost hound. Its many discriptions of mental states can be seen in university level classes.

I still laugh and feel sorry for anyone who thinks gore and blood = adult or bewbs and panties = adult.

It’s like saying Battlefield and Call of Duty are games for adults. Surely that’s why the 13-16 year olds gobble it up thinking it’s super realistic and OMGOMG it’s got that gun they use in the military!

[quote]Anime is for teenagers.[/quote]
Aren’t you a little too young to be on this website then? Clearly you are not past the mental “12” barrier.

[quote]I still laugh and feel sorry for anyone who thinks gore and blood = adult or bewbs and panties = adult.[/quote]
It is, at least according to the industry. A Hollywood movie with gore would be rated with “Adults only”. Bewbs and panties? Forget about it unless you are filming porn.

You’re fucking retarded. It’s “They’re.” “They (anime) are for kids who can’t grow up.” “Their makes absolutely no sense in that sentence. I hope English isn’t your first language, or you seriously are a fucking idiot.

Actually… you’re incorrect and that Anon was correct. He’s trying to say “They are for kids” which is extended for “They’re” as you yourself just said so… yeah. Anything else I say will be an insult no matter what it is, so I’ll just leave that there and recommend you pay closer attention next time.

Says the Anon who hasn’t dropped their balls yet. Lame troll is lame and overused. American TV shows and all Dramas are the same exact bull crap anyway. Oooh Jersey Shore. I wanna be a slut and smoosh smoosh everyone I think is ‘HOT’.

if theyre drawn in a pedo-moe style then its not for normal adults but “children in their hearts and mind” adults therefore most of this list is wrong only a few of them are adult and as for them having a deep story….some of you should go read novels if you want to know what a real deep story is

I think someone should have explained to these guys that you don’t magically stop being a kid at 18. If you want anime for adults, you need to look for the 30up demopgraphic. Titles like Precure. Oh wait..

No more seriously, the remark is true if you take it seriously: this list is mainly teenager’s anime, this is not so far from kids. What is surprising is there is no adult-subject-related anime there, like Monster or Bartender. These ones have mature content, even if there is no sex or blood. They speak about hard or complex things that, for some, you should not show to kids (except if you want some trauma).

i think it’s a more emotional thing. Anime like ano hi mita hana, angel beats, usagi drop, etc. carry a deeper meaning behind it that transcends a child’s understanding. A perfect example in an american perspective is the show “hey arnold.” That was a kid’s show, but when you revisit the episodes as you grow older, you realize all of the messages it was trying to send.

@05:15 I think it’s the other way around. A lot of American cartoons (then & now) really are for kids but they’ll occasionally throw in some adult references for the parents or babysitters that are watching with them.

Elfen Lied? The manga is full of rape, torture and violence… including attempted rape of a loli by serial rapist dude who normally tortures and rapes homo dichlonius and decides to go after a normal girl for once for a bit of refreshment.

elfen lied is not over-rated, it traumatized me so much that now when I see someone who seemed to have been abused, instead of pitying them, I put a bullet through their skull and then I whisper “for humanity~”.

Even if it’s overrated, why is that a problem? I personally think it’s an excellent show for adults, because it’s more than just blood, gore, and nudity. The story is really good and the music is breathtaking, so I think it can be really enjoyed by an older audience.

Jokes aside, that will worsen their impression of anime. A classmate of mine saw that I had a picture of an anime chick on my binder (fully clothed) and he automatically assumed it was “cartoon porn” and even “made it publicly-known.” Now, he was an asshole for doing it but the point is, we wouldn’t wanna reinforce that way of thinking now would we? Hentai is for those who are “ready.”

Yeah… Then what would you say later when their idea of Anime is that it’s Porn?

The point of this list is to show the ignorant masses that Anime is also meant for adults. Not in the “Adults Only” sense, but in the intellectual, emotional, and philosophical sense. Maybe not all in one show, but still.

Fullmetal Alchemist is definitely for kids. . . It should go.
But where is 5 Centimeters per Second. Its one title that isn’t specifically for any one audience, yet even grown ups come to tears. If Picachu saw it he’d a in a puddle of his own tears.

On topic: Although these shows aren’t meant for children, I was expecting a different type of list. Many of the shows are either up-beat stories or comedies, and I was expecting something darker like higurashi, another, or elfen lied. But I guess this list isn’t too bad considering the previous rankings.